McLaren felt it had to speak up about Honda

McLaren executive director Zak Brown believes it was important that the Formula 1 team "spoke up" in public about Honda's ongoing problems during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.

Brown admitted in Montreal that McLaren had back-up plans for 2018 if Honda's struggles continue in the second half of its third season back in F1, and the team then lost what would have been its first point of the season with Fernando Alonso's late engine failure.

Racing director Eric Boullier called that "absolutely not good enough" post-race as part of McLaren's strongest public criticism yet of its engine partner.

Asked if the McLaren management's recent criticism was intended to send a message to Honda's board, Brown said: "I think it was important that we spoke up this weekend, it was really the first time that McLaren brought forward their views.